Chasing Away The Deamons
by V'Kotik
Summary: The death of baby Elizabeth at the hands of "Terra Prime" wreaks havoc on the lives of Trip and T'Pol and the Tucker clan faces an uphill challenge just a year after losing Lizzy.
1. Chapter 1

**Chasing Away The Demons**

A/N  
><em>After a long-ish bout of writer's block, it's time to test the waters if my muse is back from her extensive vacation. Before I jump back into my longer stories, I think a shorter one is a good test buoy.<em>  
><em>A big thank you goes to <strong>WarpGirl<strong>, who, as always, provided a lot of helpful comments on the draft and to **Cogito**, who kindly took over the task of correcting the mess that is my idea of grammar and spelling, after my usual beta aadarshinah seems to have vanished :-( Thanks to both of you_

* * *

><p>Jonathan Archer looked out of the shuttle pod's window. The rain just wouldn't stop, yet the two figures still stood motionless, staring at the grave with empty eyes. The funeral of little Elizabeth T'Mir Tucker had ended more than half an hour ago. All of the assembled dignitaries had gone, as had the crew of Enterprise, except for the few senior officers who were patiently waiting for the ship's chief engineer and science officer in Shuttle Pod 2.<p>

"They're going to freeze to death," Archer muttered absently. "I'll try to get them."

Leaving the shuttle pod, he slowly walked over to his two rain soaked officers. Stopping at a respectful distance, he tried to rouse them from their lethargy. "Trip, T'Pol?"

Jon thought he was watching one of those slow-motion replays from his water polo broadcasts, when Trip turned his head. Nothing had prepared the captain for the picture he was seeing before him. Trip's look was empty. The soaked hair, plastered to his forehead, emphasized the dark rings under his eyes and Trip looked at least a decade older than his physical age.

"Let's go," the captain offered, trying to hide his utter shock at Trip's haggard appearance. Seeing Trip nod weakly, he walked back into the shuttle.

"Prepare for take-off Travis. When they're strapped in, take us back to the ship."

"Aye, Sir."

X X X

Charles Tucker jr. pushed his reading glasses from the tip of his nose towards the top of it. Slightly worried, he watched the wife of his youth pacing the living room, muttering to herself.

"Darlin', you're wearin' out the floor. What's wrong?"

"Something bad has happened. I have the same bad feeling, like the day when Lizzy… Pop, let's go to the church. I can't shake this bad feeling."

Although he didn't really understand what Cathryn was on about, the pleading and haunted look in his wife's eyes was enough for Charles to acquiesce without questions.

"Ok, Cat, I'll get my suit."

X X X

"Come," Captain Archer answered, when the door chime of his ready room sounded unexpectedly.

"Captain," Phlox greeted, holding a PADD.

"Take a seat, Doctor. I take it you're here because of Trip and T'Pol?" Jon asked, remembering that he had ordered his two officers to report to Phlox after returning to the ship.

"Unfortunately yes, Captain. I am afraid that I have to relieve Commander Tucker and Commander T'Pol from duty for an unknown period of time."

Processing these news took a second, before Jon managed to ask the Doctor for more details.

"I have conducted scans of the Commanders and, without revealing too many confidential details, it appears that both are suffering from a substantial trauma. The last time I've seen Commander Tuckers diagnostic readings in such a serious state was shortly after he learned of his sister's death."

"They're grieving, Doctor, and I agree that they should take a few days off, but Trip managed to come back after his sister died. He will manage it again."

"The most important part of Mr. Tucker's recovery was the influence of Commander T'Pol, something which unfortunately we cannot rely on this time. I would say that Commander T'Pol is equally as traumatized as Commander Tucker, if not worse."

Jonathan Archer grabbed his chin, sunk in deep thought.

"Doctor, I think I have an idea what could have happened." Seeing Phlox' expectant look, he elaborated. "T'Pol might have established a parental bond to the child and I wouldn't be surprised if Trip did, too. I've had my suspicions ever since the Orions were on board that Trip and T'Pol might be a bonded pair."

If the situation hadn't been so grim, Jon would have laughed out loud at Phlox' stunned expression.

"How can you know this?" Phlox asked. "It took me years in the Interspecies Medical Exchange to get even the smallest amount of information about vulcan bonds."

"Surak," the Captain explained, pointing at his temple.

"Your theory might have merit," the Doctor agreed. "It might be an explanation for Commander T'Pol's mysterious restlessness during Commander Tucker's short time on Columbia. If your assessment is true, my initial proposal of suspending them is even more important."

"Agreed, Doctor; Please do not ask them any questions about it. They have enough to deal with at the moment," Jon requested, knowing the doctors likely enthusiasm about learning everything about what was most probably the first ever bonding of a human and a vulcan, even though he would have to broach the subject himself soon.

"As you wish Captain."

X X X

"You wanted to see me, Captain?" Hoshi asked as she entered the ready room.

"Have a seat, Hoshi. I need your help. Have you noticed any changes in the behavior of Trip and T'Pol before this whole Terra Prime fiasco?"

"I don't know, Captain …" Hoshi evaded and looked down on the table. She really didn't want to give any personal information away, especially since she **had** noticed the changes which the Captain was probing for. If Starfleet got wind of how close the two were, they would undoubtedly try to separate them.

"Hoshi, I know they are your friends and I can understand if you don't want to reveal anything, but I can assure you that everything we talk about stays in here. It is important that you help me, if we want to help them get through this hard time."

"Ok, Captain," Hoshi answered with a small nod.

"I've got reason to think that Trip and T'Pol might be closer than we all think. If the hints that Surak left me when he was rummaging around in my skull are right, they might even be married by ancient Vulcan law. So have you noticed anything that would hint at them being close friends or even more?"

"Married?" Hoshi asked with a grin that she couldn't suppress. "Well if their bickering is anything to go by…"

"Now, we always had that, Hoshi. I'm thinking more along the lines of body language, little things, like the jokes T'Pol started to make. Not that she would ever admit it."

Well, there are a few things," Hoshi started, trying to remember the details. "There's their meals in the mess hall. They've done that for at least two years, but she started to make Trip laugh sometimes. It's almost as if he instinctively knows if T'Pol means something to be serious or funny. I've tried for ages to find a way of gauging her emotions, but Trip seems to be the only one who has managed to do it."

"That would confirm my theory," Archer muttered. "Anything else, Hoshi?"

"Well, it's only a rumor, but I've heard that T'Pol kissed Trip in the corridor. But I don't think there's anything to it; she's vulcan after all."

"Well, she's not your garden variety vulcan," Jon answered, but his smile quickly made way for a worried frown. "That only makes their situation worse," the Captain sighed.

X X X

"Take a seat," Jon said as Trip and T'Pol entered his ready room, although he thought 'shuffled' would probably be a more apt description. He had never seen his two friends so lifeless and it worried him witless.

"Trip, T'Pol, " Jon started with a soft voice that he thought he had lost in the Expanse. "I know this is not the best moment to have this talk, but there are some things to discuss. Phlox has relieved both of you from duty until further notice."

Both nodded but didn't say a word and Jon was shocked that not even the predictable protest of Trip came.

"There's something else. From what I've learned on Vulcan, I surmise that you two might be a bonded pair of mates."

"It is a private matter," T'Pol answered meekly.

"I know, but it means that you'll need each other to get through this, so I want you to know that whatever you need, you'll get it. If you want to share quarters, go for it."

"Who knows about this?" T'Pol asked. Jon's worry grew bigger as up to now Trip hadn't uttered a single word. It pained him to see his friend stare blankly at the table in complete apathy.

"Phlox knows, because he has to for medical reasons, and I figured it out by what I remember from my time with Surak's katra in my head. No one else knows, although Hoshi noticed that you're very close, but she's sworn to secrecy."

"Starfleet mustn't learn of this," T'Pol said and Jon noticed that her voice sounded almost pleading.

"Don't worry, I won't tell them anything and if they ever learn how close you are, I'll fight tooth-and-nail to keep you together."

"Thank you, Captain."

"I think you should both think about leaving the ship for a few days. I can organize accommodation for both of you, if you like," Jon offered.

"That will not be necessary, Captain," T'Pol answered with a courteous nod.

X X X

"What's wrong, darlin'?" Trip whispered as T'Pol opened her eyes for at least the tenth time and stared at the wall, sending strong waves of frustration through the bond. For the last 3 hours T'Pol had tried to meditate, without success.

"I'm making it difficult to meditate, aren't I?" He asked, watching her drop her head and the bond now transmitted waves of shame and fear.

"T'Pol, I won't be mad. Do I disturb you? What can I do?"

"Forgive me, ashayam," she answered, barely above a whisper.

"Don't apologize. Should I go back to my quarters?"

"That would not be of much help. Normally, we would be expected to meditate together, but it takes years to learn the necessary techniques and routines. It is not your fault. Only a wise priest could help me with meditation."

"Doesn't the embassy have a priest?"

"That is not acceptable. I would be required to leave you here and I must not leave you to deal with your grief alone. I shall endeavor to find a different solution."

Trip's eyes watered up as her saw her determination, but he made a decision.

"You won't leave me behind, darlin'. I have my family; they will help me while you are with the priest."

"It would be a very taxing time for you. The separation could cause disturbing images to come to you in your sleep. I cannot torment you like that, Trip."

"If there's no better alternative," Trip replied and watched her features turn into a mien of unhidden sadness. He knew that melt-down was imminent if she didn't get help soon. "Call Soval, you must get help. I'll manage, darlin'."

T'Pol nodded wordlessly and offered him two fingers for the Oz'esta. As he returned the gesture, Trip was hit by the full force of her sadness, but also gratitude for his sacrifice.

X X X

"It is agreeable to see you again, T'Pol," Soval offered. "I grieve with thee." The wise old vulcan had to try hard to hide how much the haggard appearance of his former aide unsettled him.

"It is agreeable to see you as well, Ambassador."

"You appear unwell, shall I send for a healer?"

"A healer will not be necessary, but I have come to request the services of a priest. I have been unable to meditate for several days and my control is all but gone."

"Priest V'Lorak will provide you with any help you need," Soval replied and motioned her to come with him. "I'll show you to your quarters, where you can prepare while I inform V'Lorak."

X X X

"Feelin' better Cat?" Charles asked, as he and his wife walked arm in arm back from the church toward their new home in Missouri. They had deliberately selected a house that was situated in slightly remote spot, with a sizable distance to the rest of the neighborhood.

"A bit better. Reverend Garret is a good man. Do we have enough of our subspace funds left to contact Trip? I won't find peace until I know that our boy is fine."

"Don' think so, but we've got enough of our bandwidth allotment left to send him a video message."

After several minutes of quiet walking Charles felt a yank on his arm as Cathryn stopped dead in her tracks, burying her face in her hands. "God almighty," she muttered in a breaking voice.

Before he could ask about her reaction, Cathryn ran off in a speed that belied her age by at least 30 years. Following her bearing, he noticed the blue-clad ragged-looking figure staggering towards them from the distance. Only the Starfleet issue duffel bag and the disheveled blond hair gave away the identity of his son. "Good grief," he muttered and ran after his wife.

X X X

"Trip, Trip," Cathryn cried as she ran towards her unexpected visitor. She almost fell over when Trip lifted his head, making his face visible to her. If the sufferings of Christ had a face, it was currently posing as the face of her son. Something bad had happened, affirming the dark premonition she had had all day.

As she reached Trip, she simply hugged him and continued to ask what had happened in a worried voice. As Trip wordlessly returned the gesture, the worried mother immediately noticed the ragged breathing of his, before all dams broke and Trip started to cry hard. Looking at her husband for help she noticed that Charles was close to tears himself. The parents had never seen their son fall apart like that.

"Let's go inside," Charles offered and took the duffel off Trip's shoulder, while Cathryn put her arm around her sobbing son and directed him toward the nearby house.

X X X

V'Lorak, one of High Priest Torok's best pupils, was visibly shaken after he ended the mind meld with the grieving woman who sat before him. He addressed her in ceremonial vulcan.

"Thy mind is suffering from a great loss. I grieve with thee. Thou art bonded. Why is thy mate not present?"

"My mate is human, Tela'at. He hath not yet mastered the art of meditation. His presence would disturb thee and others in the sanctuary."

"Thou abandoned thy mate in his grief?" the priest asked, without even questioning her choice of mate. His honored mentor Torok had foretold that such unions would come almost half a century ago.

"I did not abandon him. He is in the care of his parents. Humans in grief show disturbingly powerful displays of emotions, which would be distasteful for all but the most experienced and tolerant vulcans. Our kind is not able well to help a Human in grief."

"Why then hast thou not chosen to help him, for thou must know how it is done?"

"My control over the emotions that threaten to overwhelm me is lost. If I am overwhelmed I would damage him. When my control hath been regained, I shall return to his side with all haste."

"Thou hast chosen a most difficult path child. Thy adun's struggle will be great, while thou art fighting for control."

"I do know that, Tela'at. My adun is one of few humans with the strength to prevail over the plight that awaits him."

"I hear thy words. Thou shalt rest now for thou hast spent much of thine energy. Thou shalt return when thou art rested."

V'Lorak returned T'Pol's bow and watched the young woman leave.

_I shall seek the advice of my mentor, for she hath chosen an arduous path, _the priest thought, before leaving the chamber to find a subspace terminal.

X X X

"What's wrong, honey?" Cathryn asked for the fifth time, once she had navigated her helplessly sobbing son to the couch.

"I can't talk about it yet, mom," he managed in between sobs. "I'll need a few days alone. There's a lot to tell, but I can't – not yet."

"Oh, honey, what can we do?" Cathryn asked, close to crying herself. Seeing her eldest son in so much pain threatened to overwhelm her. Only her steeled determination to make it all better kept her from falling apart herself. Seeing Charles leave discreetly, she knew that her husband of many years was no longer able to contain his distress and went out of view to compose himself without adding to Trip's plight by seeing his father in distress.

"Mom," she heard Trip whisper. "I might have some bad nightmares. Promise me to not wake me."

"Why, Trip? What's happening?"

"Please, mom," he begged. Deep inside he knew that it was very unfair to leave his parents without any idea what was going on, but the feeling of falling apart completely and the overwhelming urge to be alone and trying to reach T'Pol's mind made any other thought as impossible as spending even a single thing that he wouldn't find the words for, anyway.

His teary-eyed pleading look was all answer she needed, even though Trip's strange request only added to her worries. "I promise Trip."

"I'm gonna try to sleep a bit, mom. Can you show me the guest room?"

"Of course honey," she answered and led the way as Trip hoisted his duffel bag and followed her with a dropped head.

Neither of them noticed the little leather box that fell out of his bag as they left the dining room.

X X X

Soval closed the heavy door of the chamber with due care. Looking around, a disturbing sight caught his attention. Priest V'Lorak and his former protégé T'Pol sat facing each other, sunk deep in a mind meld.

The experience of more than a decade had taught him that the sight of a grieving vulcan could be disturbing, but the intensity of T'Pol's struggle was challenging his composure. Both V'Lorak and T'Pol were perspiring heavily, despite the cool temperature in the chamber. Both were shaking so badly that Soval started to fear for their welfare.

The Ambassador was still pondering the prospect of forcefully separating the two struggling vulcans, when the decision was taken out of his hand as the priest terminated the meld. With a surprising agility Soval raced to T'Pol's side when he saw her slump down.

"She shall rest and meditate, for she must help her mate."

"She is bonded?"

"Thou hast not done well watching over thy charge if thou dost not know such an important detail, Soval," the priest answered sternly, despite still fighting to regain his composure.

"When she chose to join Starfleet I decided that I no longer had the right to interfere," Soval replied.

"Very well," V'Lorak nodded. "Thou shalt help her with meditation."

"As you wish, Tela'at," Soval answered as he took the place opposite T'Pol, who had regained a minimum of composure.

"We shall meditate," he said and lit the meditation candles.

X X X

Never had a sailing turn gone so awry. Exhausted, soaked to the bone and frozen stiff, Trip gripped the steering wheel in terror, trying to find land. He didn't care if he stranded the goddam boat, he just wanted to reach terra firma.

Another mammoth wave hit the boat, threatening to keel it over. The massive force of the impact caused him to lose his balance and he hit his head hard on the wooden steering wheel. Nauseated and disorientated, he struggled to his feet, only to scream in agony as another wave whacked the rudder violently to the left. His right arm, which had gotten wedged between the spokes of the steering wheel, was broken with a sickening crunch as the wheel was yanked by the violent rudder movement.

Screaming in terrible pain, he tried to regain control of the stricken vessel with his left arm, while the shattered right arm flopped around like a dead appendix, sending waves of excruciating pain through his nervous system.

Yet another gargantuan mountain of storm-lashed water attacked the boat and capsize the vessel, sending Trip into a violent dive. Desperately fighting for orientation and trying to reach the surface, he waved around his remaining functioning arm, but it was a losing battle, as his desperate gasps started to fill his lungs with water.

His senses numbed by terrible pain, his brain by lack of oxygen, he felt like the last remnants of life were drained from his battered body. When he realized that his time had come, he felt a firm grip on his left wrist and a quick acceleration towards the surface. When his head broke free from his wet grave, he gasped for air and screamed in sheer terror.

X X X

Charles Tucker Jr. wrestled his sobbing wife away from Trip and out of his room.

"Momma, he asked ya not to wake him!" he hissed once they were in the corridor, both terrified by their son's agonized screaming inside.

"He's dying. My baby, he's dying," Cathryn wailed, in complete panic, and only Charles' earlier bout of helpless crying allowed him to stay composed enough not to follow suite.

"I promise you, momma, I'll talk to him tomorrow," he offered, shaking his wife in the hope of yanking her from her blind terror. "As long as he's screaming, he's alive!"

He immediately regretted his words as they noticed that Trip's screaming had been replaced by eerie silence. Charles rushed back into Trip's room and his breath caught as he saw Trip lying sprawled motionless on the bed. He ripped a small mirror from the wall and positioned it an inch from Trip's face.

Spinning it around, he noticed the distinctive condensation marks, proving that Trip was still breathing. As relief drained all the adrenalin from his body, he sunk into a chair with a heavy sigh.

"He's ok, Momma. Go to bed, I'll sit watch," he whispered.

"I'm gonna sit, too," she insisted.

"No momma, one of us must be awake during the day. Whatever happened, it must've been terrible. I don' wanna leave the boy alone until we know what sort of hell he's going through."

Accepting his reasoning, Cathryn hugged him in a desperate bid for solace before she left the room, still sobbing.

X X X

Still screaming, Trip flailed his left arm around until he noticed that he wasn't in the water any longer. His eyes wide open in terror; he stared into the visibly worried face of T'Pol surrounded by the vast white nothingness that was her mind in meditation.

"Forgive me, ashayam," she offered. Despite still running on pure adrenalin, Trip realized that the last time he'd heard and seen T'Pol so weak and vulnerable was shortly after her near-death experience on the Seleya. In contrast to that time however, she was actually crying and Trip forgot his own nightmare in a hurry.

"Forget that for the moment," he answered, gently rubbing her arm. "Must have been hell for you; I never thought I'd see a vulcan cry."

"Within our minds, displays of emotions are neither rare nor distasteful."

Trip whipped around towards the unexpected voice from behind and his eyes went wide in recognition.

"Soval? What in the name…"

"I am here to assist T'Pol. If you deem my presence improper, I shall leave."

"No, no, I didn't mean to say that," Trip replied quickly. "I was just surprised to see you here. I thought only I could be here because of..."

"Your bond," Soval replied, indicating that he knew about their connection. "You are correct. I am here because T'Pol requested and allowed my presence, but I can alleviate your concern. It is only possible because of T'Pol's consent and only a few vulcans trained in the ancient ways can manage to enter another's mind using vucan's touch-telepathy. "

"Figures," Trip said, still absently stroking T'Pol's arm. "Actually, now that you're here, maybe you can help us make sense of things? I mean, what does a dream about a sailing trip gone wrong have to do without our situation? I had nightmares before, but they were always sort of directly connected to the situations that caused them."

"What you were experiencing is a visual representation of T'Pol's warring emotions. Your mind transformed the situation into something that is palpable to your mind."

"So my mind makes up pictures of what's going on in T'Pol's mind?"

"Indeed. Does the experience appear more understandable in light of this information?"

"Well, it sort of makes sense. The violent sea could be her out-of-control emotions, while the lil' boat is her struggling to regain control," Trip realized and mustered a still quietly crying T'Pol with a worried look.

"A simplified yet most insightful interpretation and, as your initial reaction has shown, her attempts have not been successful so far."

"You can say that again. So is there a logical explanation for me not being able to stand up? I mean my arm's unbroken again, but somehow my legs disobey me."

"You are connected to T'Pol's mind, yet your physical state is still realistically represented. Most likely you have fallen into a deep trance to protect yourself against the raw emotions that resonate in your bond," Soval explained.

"I'm comatose?"

"A sufficient, if not entirely accurate description."

"Shit! My folk's gonna die from worry. I asked my mom not to wake me if I have nightmares, because I hoped T'Pol would draw me in here if she needed help," Trip said anxiously. "Any way of getting me out of it?"

"No. In fact your current state is the most effective help you can provide for your mate," Soval explained with a nod to Trips hand that was still gently stroking T'Pol. "While you are physically comforting her, you actually soothe her mind."

"Still not any good for my folks. I'm afraid they're still gonna cart me off to hospital if I don't wake soon. I fell apart quite badly yesterday, or today, or however long ago that was ..."

"Which is the reason for me to request your permission to visit your parents' house and perform a mind-meld on you. It will allow me to make sure of your well-being as well as to alleviate your parents' fears."

"I would have liked to tell them myself," Trip answered in deep thought. "But I guess it can't be helped. You ok with that, darlin'?"

While still wondering why T'Pol just looked at him in confusion, Soval provided the answer to the unspoken question.

"Since you are T'Pol's bond-mate, her consent is not required. As the human saying goes, the male 'calls the shots'."

Trip looked at Soval, anger flaring up inside him.

"Listen Soval, I'm really happy about all your help. You can't even imagine how grateful I am, but I'm obviously no vulcan and that's not how things're going to work with me and T'Pol. I'm not going to consider her my property, ok? If she's ok with it, fine. If not, we'll look for a different solution. I'm sorry if that doesn't go well with your traditions."

"Please calm down, ashayam," T'Pol spoke for the first time. "Soval is an outside party. He has not yet been privy to the unique circumstances of our union. He meant no disrespect. I consent to his proposal. His suggestion is logical."

"It's ok, " Trip relented and cradled her gently, before turning his attention back to Soval. "Sorry 'bout that, guess I'm even less of a diplomat when comatose. T'Pol's fine with it, as am I, so please go ahead."

"Fascinating," Soval muttered and after a curt nod he suddenly disappeared.

X X X

For about the twentieth time Charles jr. used the little mirror to check on his son's breathing and very gingerly used two fingers to check for a pulse, but his worries only grew larger as he realized how shallow his son's heartbeat had become. Before he could finish his thought, he froze as a blood curdling scream from the living room wiped out the exhaustion of a night of sitting watch over Trip by dumping a bucket of adrenaline into his system.

He raced down the stairs as he heard the wife of his youth scream "NO! NO!" hysterically. Bursting into the living room, he found Cathryn on the floor hunched over a piece of paper, crying helplessly.

"Cat, what's wrong?"

"She was theirs! They've lost their baby!" she wailed.

"What? What ya talking about?" he asked while hugging his wife, who clung on for dear life.

He took the paper from her hand and noticed a small picture, which he suspected to be the content of the small black leather box that was lying on the floor before her. As he looked at it, he felt as if someone was trying to choke him. The picture showed the cute little baby from the horrible Terra Prime broadcast they had seen days ago but, unlike in the TV footage, the child didn't wear a cap. What he saw made his blood freeze. While the child had unmistakably vulcan ears, it had sparse blond hair and bright blue eyes – just like Trip.

"Backside," Cathryn struggled to say between violent sobs.

He flipped the photograph around and started shaking. The upper half was covered in elaborate script, which he suspected to be vulcan, but it was the four lines of English text, unmistakably in Trip's handwriting, that shook him to the bones.

_Elizabeth T'Mir Tucker  
>born: July 2154, Orpheus Mining Complex<br>died: February 2__nd__ 2155, NX-01 Enterprise  
>We'll always love you, sweetheart. Daddy<em>

"I'll call the reverend," Charles jr. managed, before all dams broke...

X X X

His hands carefully hidden in the wide sleeves of his robe, Soval walked slowly along the small path and stopped once he was near the address that Commander Tucker had given him. He turned towards his guards.

"Major, Subcommander, I shall continue on my own. Return to the shuttle."

"As you wish, Ambassador."

Arriving at the house that carried the correct number, he rang the bell, patiently waiting for the door to be opened. He noticed that already 2.3 Earth minutes had passed, before his acute sense of hearing picked up the sound of approaching steps. They sounded quite energetic for a Human of the approximate age of the Tucker elders, so Soval prepared to be greeted by a sibling or any other younger relative.

"Good afternoon, glad you came, Ambassador," a man of Commander Tucker's age greeted him and the Ambassador had to overcome a short moment of confusion. The Human, clad in a long black ceremonial robe, had taken his arrival as if an unannounced visit by Vulcan's highest representative on Earth was a daily routine.

As his momentarily unsettled equilibrium was reestablished, Soval quickly remembered what the meaning of the attire was – the man before him was a priest of one of humanities christian religions and his sharp mind remembered, where he had seen the human before.

"I came to inquire about the condition of Commander Tucker and his parents. I have reason to believe that Commander Tucker is in need of immediate help of an experienced melder."

"Please come in, Ambassador," the young human answered and motioned the unexpected guest to follow him into the kitchen.

Soval followed the lead of the human priest, although his sensitive hearing told him that the obviously distressed Tuckers occupied a different area of the house.

"I took you aside to warn you. Mr and Mrs Tucker found out about the baby this morning and the doctor diagnosed a mysterious shallow coma for their son, so their emotional state is disturbing, even for a human. It may be a lot to stomach for a vulcan."

"I have over 3 decades of experience in coping with human displays of emotions, but your consideration honors you. Mr. Garret, I presume."

"You still remember my name after almost 20 years?"

"Only very few humans have ever visited the spiritual sanctuary in the vulcan compound. You and your group of priests in training were one of those few and I remember you for your approach that was free of any preconceptions, an unfortunately rare occurrence in both vulcans and humans. Unfortunately, we must delay our re-acquaintance until a later point in time. You said Commander Tucker had been seen by a medic. Has he been removed to a hospital?"

"No, he's still here," the priest explained. "Dr. Clarence has laid an infusion for artificial nutrition and some monitoring devices, but suggested we contact the Vulcan Embassy, because the child hints at a vulcan element in all this. You beat us to it, it appears."

While the priest explained the medical situation, Soval heard approaching footsteps of exactly two humans. Their audible profile matched that of two elder humans who were either movement impaired or substantially weakened. He stood to greet what would have to be the parents of Commander Tucker.

"Reverend, who was...," the male elder started to ask, before both he and his female companion both stopped, looking in wide-eyed surprise at their unexpected guest.

Soval took a moment to assess the situation. Both their faces were discolored around the eyes, which was a sign of a prolonged period of crying and therefore a substantial distress. Both carried beaded items which the trained eye of the seasoned vulcan identified as rosaries, ritual items of the catholic variety of the christian religion.

"Mr. and Mrs. Tucker, I grieve with thee," the vulcan greeted with a bow.

"Thank you, Ambassador," Charles returned with a polite nod and Soval noticed that both Tuckers clutched their rosaries as if they were life-lines. "Dr. Clarence suggested we contact the Embassy. We're very grateful that you came in person."

Any other vulcan would have expressed the lack of necessity for gratitude at that point, Soval thought to himself, as they would be completely oblivious to the fact that it was an integral part of human behavior. Despite the recent improvements in relations with the humans, most vulcans were still as clueless about their allies as the humans were about vulcans.

"I came to assess Commander Tuckers condition. The short report Mr. Garret gave me suggests that he is in a trance state, which is not surprising. I wish to assess his condition as soon as possible, but I wish to speak to both of you later because there is a lot of information you need to be made aware of. Would you permit me to see your son?"

"Of course, Ambassador, if you would follow me," Charles motioned and the ambassador followed Charles' lead.

X X X

Charles was slightly confused. He had expected Soval to at least check a pulse or something, but so far the old vulcan had done nothing but stand in front of Trips bed with closed eyes. Before he could ask about it, the vulcan turned to face him and explained.

"Mr. Tucker, after sufficiently calming my mind, I wish to perform a procedure that is called a mind-meld. I assure you that it is not harmful and mostly without danger. There is however limited experience with melds involving humans. I therefore wish to ask you to break the contact between me and Commander Tucker if you see the first signs of involuntary movements or audible expressions."

"So if any of you starts shaking or shouting, I'll break the contact? Are you really sure it is safe?"

"It is, Mr. Tucker. I am one of three vulcans who already have experience in melding with humans. It is only a safety precaution as your son has experienced a major trauma. I suspect the danger to myself is much greater than that to Commander Tucker."

"Doesn't make it any less worrying," Charles replied and Soval noticed with some satisfaction that the human was as concerned for him as for his son. This ready acceptance would make the following talk to the Tuckers much easier.

"Thank you, Mr. Tucker. Do I have your permission?"

"Sure, I'll sit watch."

With interest, Charles watched on as the vulcan spread his fingers over the right half of Trip's face. He remembered that not too many weeks ago, Trip had described something like that in a letter, when Soval had allegedly poked the brain of a comatose victim of the Embassy bombing for any clues. Now it was his son on the receiving end of such a mind-reading and he was ready to jump with every fiber of his body at the first sign of trouble.

"My mind to your mind... My thoughts to your thoughts... Our minds are merging... Our minds are one."

X X X

Trip was still sitting in their white space, fairly immobilized, with T'Pol finally resting in his lap. Once she had run out of tears, surprisingly late for a desert dweller in Trip's opinion, she had finally succumbed to her fatigue and fallen asleep with her head resting in his lap. Trip stroked her hair, gently.

As suddenly as Soval had disappeared, he reappeared out of thin air.

"Guess you made it to our place?" Trip asked.

"Indeed. We are currently in a mind-meld. Your father kindly gave his permission for me to perform the procedure."

"Hope he isn't too scared."

"I gave him instructions to break the meld immediately if any signs of involuntary movements or audible signs are present. This will keep him sufficiently alert to calm his mind."

"When you melded with that guard, you started shaking and sweating badly. If that happens, he's gonna go at you like a pack o' dogs on a three-legged cat," Trip reminded with slight worry.

"I'm counting on it," Soval explained, ignoring the unknown... colorful phrase. "I set the threshold deliberately low to avoid any danger. If you were to wake from your current state, we would lose the best chance at regaining T'Pol's equilibrium."

"All it would take would be another nightmare of mine," Trip reasoned. "That's how I got into this, isn't it?"

Trip noticed immediately that Soval's momentary silence was not a good sign. "There's more to it, isn't there?"

"Most perceptive, Mr. Tucker. That you somehow managed to reach this state of trance instead of suffering mental damage, is a most fortunate coincidence. It was not even clear whether any human could reach such a state without suffering permanent damage."

"T'Pol knows all that, doesn't she?"

"Yes, Mr. Tucker."

"Dammit!" Trip hissed, careful not to wake T'Pol. "That just adds to the problems she had beforehand. She felt guilty enough to leave me. It took me the best part of half an hour to convince her to see the priest at all."

"Indeed. But it is illogical to think about what might have been. Both you and T'Pol have to concentrate on healing each other, while I shall supply your parents with all pertinent information."

"I'm a bit surprised. I quite literally fell apart when I came home, but I feel rather strong right now, except for the not being able to walk bit."

"This is because, if two mates are injured, the stronger can suppress their own needs to concentrate on the needs of the other."

"You are meaning to say that I'm actually stronger than T'Pol right now? Sorry, Soval, but that's a bit far-fetched. T'Pol managed to live with humans in close proximity longer than any other vulcan and she even managed to bond with one. There's no points for guessing who's the stronger part in this bond."

"You underestimate yourself, Commander. While you were able to purge some of the emotions that threaten you, T'Pol has not even begun to process them. That, in combination with humanity's enviable ability to actually express and purge emotions, makes you the stronger warrior in this war."

"Warrior? What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Trip asked as a strong wave of shock and confusion washed over him.

"I shall explain as..."

With that, Soval was gone as suddenly as he had appeared. Obviously Dad had done his party piece.

X X X

Jumping with an agility that he would never have expected of himself, Charles grabbed the robe of the shaking and sweating vulcan and yanked him away from his son more forcefully than initially planned, causing the Ambassador to fall over backwards onto the floor.

"I'm awfully sorry, Ambassador," Charles muttered, surprised by the force of his reaction.

"No need to apologize, Mr. Tucker," Soval groaned with as much dignity as his current predicament allowed. "You did what I asked you to do."

With that the door flew open and Cathryn came running in, followed by an unknown alien.

"What happened?"

"Don't worry, Cat," Charles explained. "I just yanked the Ambassador a little too hard. Forgot that this damn wooden floor probably made it sound as if I had body-slammed him."

"You 'yanked' the Ambassador, who came all the way to help Trip?" Cathryn asked sternly about the perceived improper conduct of her husband.

"Do not concern yourself, Mrs. Tucker," Soval interrupted. "Your husband only did what I asked him to do. Nothing unseemly has been done."

"Wanna introduce our guest?" Charles asked, before Cathryn would continue the etiquette discussion.

"This is Dr. Phlox," Cathryn introduced. "I called Jon when you two went upstairs, and he offered to send him down when he heard what happened. After all, nobody knows Trip as well as him as far as his health is concerned. Dr. Clarence agreed that he takes over."

"Thank you for coming, Doctor," Charles greeted with a nod, not knowing whether offering a hand was acceptable in the unknown species' culture.

"It was the obvious thing to do," Phlox returned, and surveyed the readouts of the monitoring devices that the human doctor had set up.

"Hmm, the data look very good, if somewhat unusual for a human," Phlox analyzed and turned to Soval. "Do I correctly assume that you have performed a mind-meld?"

"Indeed I did. Commander Tucker is stable and his mind is awake and intact. Your arrival is most fortunate, Doctor. I wish to ask for your presence when I inform Mr. and Mrs. Tucker. Mr. Garret's attendance would be most helpful as well, if he is still on the premises."

"He's waiting downstairs," Cathryn supplied. "Do you think we can leave Trip alone in his state?"

"Do not worry, Mrs. Tucker," Phlox supplied, and Charles was momentarily taken aback by the alien's mindbogglingly broad smile. "Dr. Clarence has every eventuality covered with his monitoring assembly. In fact giving Commander Tucker a more quiet surrounding will be helpful, as we do not know how much of the external stimuli he is registering."

"Guess we'd better go downstairs then," Charles suggested. "I certainly have quite a few questions."

- tbc in part 2 -


	2. Chapter 2

Chasing Away The Demons

_= Part II =_

The small group of people, which to Charles' amazement consisted of three different species, entered the living room, where Martin Garret was waiting.

"Can I get you some drinks?" Cathryn asked their visitors.

"Water will suffice," Soval answered and Charles got the distinct impression that, while the Vulcan didn't really need any, he seemed to want to give her something to do. Somehow the Vulcan ambassador in his living room didn't quite match the image of the ice-cool, unflappable person he'd seen on TV dozens of times over the past decades.

"The same for me, please," doctor Phlox added.

"Take a seat y'all," Charles invited and as soon as all were seated, he immediately addressed Soval: "Ambassador, can you tell me, what's happening to our son? He came home lookin' like death on two legs, fell apart like I've never seen before and the only thing he said was, that he'd be going to have nightmares and begged us, not to wake him up. Shortly after that he started screamin' and tossin' like he was fighting for his very life," he explained in an animated fashion. "My wife and me are scared witless. We lost a child just over a year ago; losing another one would kill us …"

"Mr. Tucker," Soval politely interrupted, sensing that the human was approaching another emotional outbreak. "I can not explain Commander Tucker's omission of basic information, but fortunately he was able to provide the most important information of all. Waking him could have been extremely dangerous to him and most likely T'Pol as well."

"T'Pol?" Cathryn asked as she served glasses of water. "How can she be affected, she's not even here?"

"What do you know about the relationship between Commander Tucker and T'Pol?" Soval asked, while Charles put his arm around his wife's shoulders, when she took a seat beside him.

"Well, we've suspected that they've got a lot more going on than just bein' colleagues," Charles explained. "I probably wouldn't find a single transmission of Trip without T'Pol being mentioned at least twice. But we never expected that they've gotten as far as to have children. We didn't even expect that to be possible."

"Doctor Phlox can probably explain the situation much better than I," Soval nodded, turning to Phlox for an answer.

"Commander Tucker and Commander T'Pol are what humans call an engaged couple," Phlox explained and Charles' surprise was not very big. Trips countless transmissions had left little to be guessed about whom he had lost his heart to. "The information, I'm about to give you will be very difficult to cope with, but you need to know the truth."

Charles felt, how Cathryn started clinging to him a bit more in anxiety.

"The baby girl was not the result of a natural coupling. She was cloned from tissue samples that were stolen from my medical facility."

Charles heard Cathryn gasp in horror. "So, you're saying that someone stole samples of Trip and T'Pol to clone a child? That doesn't make the least bit of sense."

"She was created in a despicable attempt to show that Vulcans and Humans could not and should not combine," Phlox explained further.

"A child, no matter how it came into life, is hardly a dangerous prospect?" Garret asked. "If anything it would have been an encouragement. If she hadn't died, this whole attempt would have failed."

Seeing that Cathryn lost her fight with tears again, Charles gently rubbed her arm to console her.

"That, Mr. Garret is the most barbaric part of the crime," Phlox answered with a sigh. "It was inevitable that she died. When she was cloned, her creators manufactured a deliberate genetic defect to make sure that she would never survive infancy."

A primal rage boiled up inside Charles as his vision was blurred by tears. Shaking from the lethal anger that ravaged his soul he pressed. "Reverend, would you take care of Cat, please, I need to..." and as soon as the priest had put a soothing arm around Charles' wife, he ran out of the room.

X X X

Sovals nostrils were flaring as he found it increasingly difficult to keep his mind shielded from the sheer amount of raw, powerful emotions that the humans were radiating. Even Dr. Phlox seemed to be very close to being overwhelmed, reminding Soval that it was the Denobulan, who had fought desperately, but ultimately unsuccessfully, to save the life of the infant.

Closing his eyes, he slipped into a shallow meditation to re-establish his equilibrium, but he was violently ripped out of it by loud crashing noises coming from outside – at least loud to a Vulcans hearing. He doubted that the humans would even register it.

"I shall look after Mr. Tucker," he announced and acknowledged the grateful nod of the human priest.

Following the noise, he walked out into the backyard were he was greeted by a disturbing sight of pure destruction. Several ornamental items had been pushed over and some even destroyed. As he neared a small building, he saw that its wooden doors had been battered in. Inside he found Mr. Tucker, wielding an ax, wildly battering wooden shelves and closets that lined the walls of what appeared to be a workshop of some kind.

"Mr. Tucker?" Soval asked loud enough to get the attention of the raging human. He watched on as the human forcefully threw the ax to the ground turning to Soval. Even the disciplined Vulcan couldn't suppress a momentary flash of shock about the human's appearance. His face could only be described as a pained grimace of pure rage, while sweat mixing with a seemingly infinite stream of tears added to the almost frighteningly disheveled appearance of Mr. Tucker's face. But the most disturbing sight was the uncontrollable shaking of a human very short of being overwhelmed by blind rage.

"Those, shitheads! They don' fuckin' know how t'is to lose a child. Dammit, what sorta sick motherfucker do ya hav'ta be to make a child only to kill it?"

Soval tried hard to make sense of the humans almost undecipherable dialect, surmising that, as it was with Commander Tucker, his parent fell back on his regional dialect in a heightened emotional state.

"I do not have an answer for that Mr. Tucker. I do not know if there is one at all," Soval answered calmly, hoping to achieve a calming influence on the human, who was still shaking from raw emotions.

"What was it, they wan'ed? Ah, yeah, get rid of all aliens!" Charles spat sarcastically, before answering the question immediately. "Gimme a room full of aliens over just one of these assholes any time."

"In that regard, we are in full agreement, Mr. Tucker, if not, maybe, in the choice of words."

"Sorry, 'bout my language Ambassador," Charles answered and with satisfaction Soval saw that, however unusual Mr. Tuckers method of dealing with his emotions had been, the human seemed to find a state of relative calm again. "I'm usually not so ripe and Cat will rip me a good one if she ever gets to know about it."

"I understand," Soval answered. "And I shall make sure that your wife will not learn of your inappropriate language."

Soval did not show his confusion about the humans wish that his wife would not learn of the use of vulgar language, while he did not seem to be concerned about the fact that he had destructed a sizable part of their residence.

"They will give Trip and T'Pol a hard time, won't they?"

"It is a danger that can not be discounted," Soval replied honestly. "But fortunately the perpetrators of this unspeakable outrage are a minority."

"Just one of them tries anything," Charles growled and Soval was slightly taken aback by the menace in the human's voice.

"I'm a religious man, Ambassador, but there are situations, where 'turn the other cheek' is mighty impractical."

"Be assured, Mr. Tucker. Both Earth and Vulcan will ensure the safety of all involved. Do you feel calm enough to return?"

"Think, so," Charles sighed. "Thank you, Ambassador."

X X X

"You ok?" Cathryn asked, when she saw the Vulcan Ambassador return with her husband in tow.

"I'm ok, Cat," he answered taking a seat and his wife's hand.

"Now that we know what happened to the kids," Cathryn asked in Soval's direction. "Can you tell us, why it affects Trip so violently? Somehow I get the feeling it has to do with T'Pol being a Vulcan; no offense meant, Ambassador."

"There is no offense, where none is taken. Indeed you are correct. T'Pol's Vulcan physiology does play a part in the situation."

"As far as I understand human practices, the act of becoming engaged is a mutual promise to marry. Is that correct?" Soval continued after giving the humans a few seconds to digest his answer.

"Yes, something like that," Cathryn answered with an affirmative nod.

"For Vulcans this step carries more complex consequences. Engagement as such does not exist in Vulcan culture as future mates are betrothed in early childhood. After their marriage, in rare cases even before, they form a telepathic bond, which unites them for life."

"What is this… bond? Have Trip and T'Pol formed such a thing?" Charles asked.

"It is a connection of their minds. Bond mates can share images, thoughts, emotions and can always sense each others presence in their minds. And, yes, it appears that Commander Tucker and T'Pol have bonded."

"If it is telepathic," Cathryn noted. "How can Trip be part of it? Humans aren't telepathic."

Phlox answered her question: "The majority of humans do not possess any telepathic abilities, but there have been rare, but confirmed cases of humans with latent telepathic abilities. This trait is a most rare inheritable talent."

"Maybe it's you Cathryn," Garret offered.

"Me?" she asked back in surprise.

"Charles always says you see right through him, if he's not telling the truth and you were worried about Ingrid Hanson weeks before she was diagnosed with depression. You suspected Chuck Turner's drinking problem, when the whole neighborhood hadn't noticed a single thing yet. Couldn't it be that you have such a latent ability and passed it on to your son?"

"What you describe, would most certainly hint at such ability," Phlox agreed.

"That's all nice 'n well," Charles interrupted, turning his attention back to Soval. "But with all respect to Vulcan culture, if this bond has such grave consequences as it seems to have for them at the moment, I can't help but wonder if it is such a good idea to have a human be a part of it?"

"Pops, who are we to decide, whom Trip falls in love with," Cathryn whispered with a hint of upset.

Before Charles could reply, Soval politely raised his hand to stop him.

"Mr. Tucker's concerns are warranted," he agreed. "However, the current crisis is the result of many unusual and unfortunate factors occurring together. What we are currently experiencing is, what humans refer to as the 'worst possible case'."

"So, if heaven forbids, something bad would happen again, they wouldn't have these problems?" Cathryn asked, her worries stirred by Sovals agreement with her husbands concerns.

"Unless it were to happen within a very short period of time from now, you can rest assured that nothing of the sort will repeat."

"So, why is it so bad now?" Charles inquired.

"The first factor is the fact that the bond between them is still forming," Soval explained. "It takes approximately a year for a bond to reach its full strength. A second factor is the separation of T'Pol and Commander Tucker."

"So why didn't anyone tell him to bring her with him?" Cathryn asked, slightly irritated.

"The decision to separate was one that was made out of necessity, caused by the third major contributing factor. Commander Tucker is not yet able to perform the meditation techniques, needed to reestablish T'Pol's emotional equilibrium and neither is he able to shield his mind yet, so his freely radiating emotions would threaten the control of all Vulcans in the vicinity, therefore threatening the ability of the priests in the sanctuary, who are currently trying to stabilize T'Pol in Commander Tucker's place."

"So you decided to send him away," Cathryn spat, in growing irritation.

"Not at all, Mrs. Tucker," Soval explained, trying to calm her. "T'Pol was willing to take the risk, but Commander Tucker insisted on separating. He chose to increase his own burden to avoid any risks for T'Pol's recovery."

"That's a no-win scenario," Charles muttered. "If he stays with her, she's in danger, if he stays away, he's in danger. Now I understand what you meant with worst-case scenario."

"Indeed," Soval agreed. "I do hope that you understand what immense sacrifice Commander Tucker has made. He made this decision in the knowledge that being among his family would give him the strength to overcome the challenging crisis."

"Thank you," Charles answered, moved by Sovals words.

"When can you bring T'Pol here?" Cathryn asked. "By what I understand, the separation cannot be any good for her either."

"Once T'Pol's emotional control has been stabilized sufficiently, an end of their separation would be the first and foremost priority," Soval explained. "Unless such has been achieved, however, her presence would pose a danger."

"Why's that?" Charles asked.

"Your earlier outburst Mr. Tucker was not unlike what would happen to a Vulcan, whose control has been overwhelmed by emotions. Unlike you, however, no tool would be necessary to achieve the same… carnage and a Vulcan would be unable to differentiate between inanimate objects and living beings."

"Good lord," Charles muttered wide-eyed.

"What carnage?" Cathryn asked.

"Cat, you better don't go to the backyard until I had time to clean up," Charles admitted with a chagrined face expression.

Cathryn immediately understood. On more than one occasion, Charles had broken things in desperation and overwhelming grief after the death of their daughter. She had never understood that the same man, who categorically refused to raise the hand against any living being, could lash out at inanimate objects with such force. Even if she should have latent telepathic abilities, this fact was something that would always elude her understanding.

"How can you be sure, that Trip will learn all this mental stuff that's necessary to prevent such problems in the future?" Charles asked, returning to the previous conversation.

"The fact that Commander Tucker has been able to bond with T'Pol is proof of that. I find it hard to provide a detailed explanation."

"Maybe, I can help," Phlox interrupted. "I think there is a human saying 'Before you can run, you first have to learn, how to walk'."

Both Cathryn and Charles nodded.

"The fact that he was able to form a bond with T'Pol and the fact that he was able to reach a state of trance without ever having been instructed in the procedure, proves that Mr. Tucker most certainly knows, how to run. So it should not be any problem to learn to walk, even if he 'put the cart before the horse', so to speak."

"Now, that makes sense," Charles replied with a nod before he was interrupted by a beep coming from Soval's robe.

"Excuse me," the Vulcan said and took out a small communicator, exchanging a few words in Vulcan, while the humans watched in suspense and Charles could have sworn, he had heard the Vulcan sigh. Closing the device, Soval addressed them: "The immediate danger to T'Pol has been averted, she has recovered a basic if still fragile control over her emotions."

Charles and Cathryn fell into each others arms, tears flowing for joy for the first time, since this nightmare had started and even Phlox couldn't help but letting a single tear of relief fall.

X X X

Martin Garret closed his eyes and fervently expressed his gratitude to the Lord. The Tuckers had only lived here for about two years, but having counseled them through much of their grieving for their daughter, they had grown to be not only a part of the community, but almost a part of his extended family.

"Doctor," Soval instructed. "With T'Pol awake, Commander Tucker will soon come to as well. It will be necessary to monitor him closely."

"On my way," the rotund alien replied and Garret wondered how such a substantially built individual could possibly speed off so quickly.

Seeing the Tuckers still embracing each other in relief, he could not help but smile and sent another 'Hail Mary' heavenwards. He turned his attention to the Vulcan ambassador, who approached him.

"Mr. Garrett, now that the immediate danger has been averted from T'Pol, it will soon be time to start dealing with Commander Tucker's grief, as well. I trust that you will continue supporting him and his parents?"

"Of course, Ambassador," he promised, while the Tucker parents joined them.

"Ambassador, can you bring T'Pol here?" Cathryn asked. "I don't think we should waste any time, now that the worst has been overcome."

"Of course," Soval agreed. "I shall return as soon as possible."

Returning the Ambassadors nod, Martin looked on as the Vulcan left, accompanied to the door by Cathryn Tucker.

"I can't tell you, how much it means to us, to have you with us," Charles said and Martin took his offered hand.

"There's no other place, where I would be in trying times like these," he replied.

"We'll see you at the mass tomorrow," Charles answered in gratitude, while escorting the priest to the door.

X X X

Slowly Trip opened his eyes, trying to get a bearing on where, when or how he was. As his eyes got used to the light, he recognized a familiar face.

"Phlox?" he asked, surprised by how weak his own voice sounded.

"Welcome back, Commander, please do not move."

"Where am I; why are you here? Last thing I remember was being at my folks place."

"You still are, you just awoke from a healing trance," the doctor explained as Trip winced from the stings that were cause by IV needles being pulled out of his arm. "Ah… yeah, right, Soval mentioned it. But why do I feel like I've just done a marathon?"

"Oh, that's not surprising," Phlox replied in his trademark upbeat voice. "While your body has been lying in trance, your mind has worked overtime for almost 24 hours."

"Right, I was in T'Pol's... Dammit! T'Pol! I need to...," Trip muttered and tried to jump out of the bed. His own exhaustion and a gentle push of Phlox caused him to crash back on it.

"T'Pol is well under the circumstances," Phlox explained. "Soval is underway to see her. You, however, need to sleep or you will not be of any help to her."

"Is she really ok?" Trip asked back.

"She is, Mr. Tucker. Of course the term is relative, but the most dangerous phase has been overcome. You can trust me. But now you must let me give you this sedative. You need uninterrupted sleep, urgently and for obvious reasons neuropressure as an option is unavailable at the moment."

"I don't want to be drugged," Trip refused. "What if she needs me again?"

"You should listen to the doc, son," Charles added, entering the room. "Soval has explained a lot to your mom and me and he's bringing T'Pol here, so you should let Dr. Phlox do his job. You hadn't had any real sleep for a long time. How d'ya wanna help her if you're a basket case?"

"Ok, do your thing, doc," Trip sighed, surrendering to the logic of his father and a weak but visible smile graced his face, when he heard about T'Pol's imminent arrival.

Mere seconds after Phlox's injection he fell into a deep sleep.

X X X

"What's that?" Cathryn asked as Charles put down a small device on the table after he had bidden a grateful farewell to Phlox.

"The doc just gave it to me. It's a communicator, so we can call him, if anything's up with the kids."

"Funny, how we still call them 'kids'," Cathryn shook her head with a smile. "From what I've learned about Vulcans, T'Pol could be our age."

"I should've known, momma," Charles replied, now smiling himself. "The moment you knew that Trip has fallen in love with her, you probably started studying Vulcanology. So you've got at least a year of head start on me. What do I need to know?"

"They don't like to be touched, so no hugging or handshaking," Cathryn started to list the basic 'Vulcan 101'. "They need privacy, so we shouldn't ask her too many personal questions and they're strict Vegetarians. That's the most important things."

"Guess we'll be eating a lot of weeds then," Charles answered and Cathryn could hear the undertone of displeasure in his voice.

"Don't worry pops, you won't have to become a vegetarian. But you shouldn't expect a steak for each meal."

"I know," Charles sighed, before shaking his head. "I'm an idiot. The kids are havin' a hard time and I worry about my meals. I'm sorry, Cat."

"No, you're no idiot," Cathryn refused, putting her arms around her husband. "You're just as confused as me. It's been a tough few days and we'll need time to deal with all this."

"Thanks, dear," he smiled back at her.

The moment was interrupted by the door bell.

X X X

Charles and Cathryn fought hard not to gasp in shock, when they opened the door. Two hooded figures stood before the door. The Ambassador was now a familiar sight, but the haggard appearance of T'Pol was almost disturbing. They knew her face from the few pictures that Trip had sent in his transmissions over the years, but the flawless beauty of the young Vulcan had given way to an unmistakable expression of misery.

"Please come in," Cathryn invited them.

"I shall leave T'Pol in your care," Soval explained and handed Charles a small PADD. "These communication codes allow you to contact me, once Commander Tucker is sufficiently rested. It will become necessary for me to instruct both T'Pol and your son in essential techniques of meditation."

"Thank you for all you've done for us, Ambassador," Charles answered and managed to fight the reflex of offering a grateful handshake to the Vulcan.

Soval nodded and left the house.

"Welcome to our home, T'Pol," Cathryn offered in a gentle voice, once the ambassador had left.

"I am grateful for your hospitality."

Charles fought a pitying head shake, when he heard the weak voice of their guest, which stood in stark contrast to the strength and energy in Sovals voice. If nothing else, this contrast reminded him that they were dealing with a Vulcan in severe distress.

"Do you need anything?" Cathryn asked, as she took the hooded coat from T'Pol. Noticing the skinny stature of T'Pol she added: "Maybe something to eat?"

"No, thank you," T'Pol refused. "I do not wish to eat at the moment. May I see Trip?"

"Of course," Cathryn answered and motioned her to follow. "Phlox has given him a sedative, so he's sleeping now. May be you want to lay down, too?"

T'Pol nodded her agreement and followed her up the stairs.

"She looks like hell," Charles said, when Cathryn returned to the dining room.

"She's been through a lot and I have a hunch they've still got something coming their way," his wife answered with a sad head shake.

X X X

T'Pol slowly opened her eyes after what was the first night of peaceful sleep since the funeral. Listening to the calming rhythm of Trip's steady breathing, she snuggled back up to him for a moment. A look at the chronometer told her that she had been sleeping for almost 10 hours, far more than her usual 4 hours aboard _Enterprise._

Slowly and as carefully as possible, she disentangled herself from her sleeping mate, collected her toiletries from her duffel and left to find the bathroom, which Trips mother had given directions to the day before.

After her morning hygiene and another caring check on her sleeping companion, she slowly descended the creaking stairs and walked into the kitchen, but she found no one. Looking around, she noticed the open terrace door and walked outside, where she saw Charles Tucker work in a shed that gave the impression of having been the site of substantial violence.

"Good morning," she greeted and wondered, if she had startled the human, as he swung round hastily.

"Mornin'," the man answered and T'Pol, seeing his gentle smile, noticed that she would probably never understand the human ability to show positive emotions even in times of grief.

"Where you attacked?" T'Pol asked, seeing the destruction and worrying, whether _Terra Prime _might have chosen to retaliate against Trip's family.

"What? Err, no... actually that... that was me," the human confessed and T'Pol noticed the signs of discomfort on the elders face, which matched those of Trip almost exactly. "When Soval told us about..."

"About Elizabeth," T'Pol finished, suspecting that the human was reluctant to mention their daughter for her sake.

"Yes," Charles continued. "When he told us how and why she was created, I... sort of lost it."

"Much like a Vulcan," T'Pol muttered, but didn't count on the acute hearing of Trips father.

"Ya, Soval told us," he answered and motioned her to sit on a wooden bench that had somehow escaped destruction.

Sitting down and facing the human, she waited to hear the inevitable inquiries into her well-being. Normally as a Vulcan, she would have to dismiss such sentiments as irrelevant, but she had long since accepted this as a normal part of human behavior and it was logical to partake in this pattern as she was dealing with the human part of her family.

"So, how are ya holding up?" Charles asked.

"It is still... taxing," T'Pol answered carefully. "I have overcome the most dangerous phase of mourning, but I'm nowhere near full control. However, I'm more concerned about Trip. He has been delaying to deal with his own grief for my sake. He is facing a very difficult time."

"I can imagine," Charles commiserated. "But he has you here, now. Soval told us, how important it is for you two being together. That's why we immediately asked him to bring you, when we heard you were out of the woods."

"And I am grateful for that and your hospitality. However, I do not know, how to assist Trip in the mourning process. I doubt that I will be able to provide more than simple gestures of support."

"That's all it takes, T'Pol," the elder explained. "Soval said, Vulcans grieve by meditation."

T'Pol nodded.

"Unfortunately that's not so easy for us. We have to deal with the grief by other means – praying, crying a lot, talking. That's the only way to overcome it. And it works best if we have a dear one, who holds us, when we're down. "

"I hope that I can render this assistance adequately," T'Pol answered.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine," Charles answered with an encouraging smile.

"Thank you," T'Pol nodded in gratitude.

"Have you eaten something?" Charles asked.

T'Pol shook her head slightly. "Vulcans can go for days without food."

"No offense, T'Pol, but you look like you've already gone several days without," Charles replied gently. "I know it is hard to eat, when you got no appetite; God knows how often Cat and I had to force ourselves to eat anything after that dang attack on Florida. At least try a little salad. Come, I'll fix something for you."

T'Pol nodded wordlessly and followed the human without further attempts to convince him otherwise. Not only would her refusal of his hospitality probably be considered an offense – she also knew, that her host was essentially right. She hadn't eaten anything in days.

X X X

Cathryn opened the front door carefully, not knowing that such precaution was unnecessary, as both their guests were already awake. Laden with fresh vegetables and fruit out of farmer Higgins' latest greenhouse harvest, she entered the house, just as Trip shuffled down the stairs.

He wordlessly took the heavy bags from her and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "Mornin', mom."

"Morning, Trip. You ok?" she asked in a low voice.

"Don't really know," Trip sighed. "Sorry for leaving you and dad hangin' the other day. I just couldn't..."

"It's ok, honey," Cathryn answered, putting her hand on the small of his back, while they made their way to the kitchen. "Soval explained everything."

As they came into the kitchen, they saw T'Pol slowly eating a salad, while Charles poured her tea.

"Ah, there you are, son," Charles greeted them. "What's it gonna be for you? Eggs? Sandwich?"

"Thanx, dad, I'll just have some of the salad."

Cathryn watched the scene with interest and while Charles was clearly poaching in her area of expertise, she knew better than to take over. She knew how much the distraction helped her husband of many years to get over his own grief for the granddaughter they had never had the chance to meet.

Both Tucker parents tried to look elsewhere, as the young couple reunited after days of separation. Although its wasn't a tear-jerking melodramatic scene, but more of a gentle, but sparse exchange of touches, both felt it was better to give them privacy, rather than watching.

"Help me with the veggies, pop?" Cathryn asked, giving both of them an excuse to leave the premises, as they made their way to the basement to put all the new food into the stasis unit.

"Cat, I know Vulcans aren't big on touching," Charles whispered as they filled the stasis unit. "But wasn't that a bit reserved, considering they've not seen each other for days? It's not like we're some strangers."

"Don't worry," Cathryn explained. "She only met us yesterday. Her head may tell her that we're family, but she'll need some time to get used to us."

X X X

It was early evening, when the Tucker parents returned from church. Both faces showed faint traces of dried tears.

"T'was a beautiful sermon," Charles sighed.

"Sure was," Cathryn answered and squeezed his hand.

When they entered the house, they heard unmistakable sounds of work being done in the wrecked backyard. Both walked out on the porch and couldn't quite believe their eyes. Trip and T'Pol, both wearing one of his old overalls were working to reconstruct the workshop.

T'Pol was hauling big logs around as if they were toothpicks, sawing them into accurately measured planks, while Trip took them and nailed or bolted them into place to reconstruct, what had until recently been Charles' workshop. Many of the perched little statues had been corrected as well and by the looks of things, after another day, there would be almost no traces of Charles' rage.

When both had noticed the return of their hosts, T'Pol switched off the saw and both walked over.

"What y're doing, kids?" Charles asked, feeling guilty that someone else was cleaning up the aftermath of his battering spree. "You didn't come here to clean up my mess."

"Don't worry, dad," Trip answered. "We both needed a bit of a distraction. We're just not ready yet to sit and do nothing."

Charles shook his head, still feeling guilty.

"You planning a campfire?" Cathryn asked, pointing at the stacked remnants of smashed boards and doors.

Trip nodded. "T'Pol's gonna need a flame to meditate. A candle would have done the trick, but it'll help her stay warm. As mild as the winter is this year, for a Vulcan it's still freezin' cold."

Cathryn mustered the two young people and it became apparent that both of them had lost weight. A copious meal was in order.

X X X

Charles peeked out of the window in one of his regular check on the two grieving people, who sat in his backyard. T'Pol sat ramrod straight, her legs folded in a sort of Indian-style position, while Trip sat behind her, his legs folded around her, his arms slung around her waist, both their heads resting cheek-to-cheek. They had not moved for at least 3 hours and both Charles and Cathryn had regularly taken a checking look as none of the two seemed to pay much attention to the fire in front of them, in fact, neither had opened their eyes for the entire time.

The door bell announced the likely arrival of Soval, whom Charles had contacted as per instruction.

"Good evening, Ambassador," he offered, seeing the hooded Ambassador waiting in front of the door.

"Good evening, Mr. Tucker."

"The kids are in the backyard. Looks like some sort of meditation to me."

Soval raised a curious eyebrow, not sure why the human was referring to them by a term usually applied to small children. Following the human into the kitchen, he looked out of the window, as his host had indicated him to do.

"Remarkable," Soval muttered after observing them for a while. "Has any of them moved since they assumed this position?"

"Not for at least three hours," Charles explained. "We haven't watched them all the time, but whenever we checked on them, they've been sitting there like statues."

"Your son may be even more remarkable than I thought, Mr. Tucker."

Charles was moved by such praise coming from a Vulcan. "Do you think he's already starting to learn this mental stuff you told us about?"

"Indeed it appears as if he has managed to initiate basic meditation techniques. It is far from complete knowledge, but it may shorten the amount of needed instruction considerably."

"Maybe you could take a closer look. Cat and I didn't dare approach them, lest we disturb them, but I guess you know how to handle that?"

"I shall approach them," Soval explained with a nod and went outside, while Charles went to look after his wife.

X X X

Slowly, careful not to cause disturbing noise, Soval approached the couple and noticed the small, but steady stream of tears that ran down the humans face, a situation that was mirrored by T'Pol. While tears outside ones mind were by no means unheard of on Vulcan, it was nonetheless usually associated with Pan'ar or Bendii syndrome in terminal stages or acute emotional distress.

Slowly Soval sat down on the opposite side of the small fire, knowing that his mental presence would soon rouse T'Pol from her meditation. To his surprise it was Commander Tucker, who opened the eyes first.

Instinctively, the human tried to get into a less intimate position, assuming that his current posture might be scandalizing the Vulcan visitor, but Soval quickly put up his hands to assure the young man of his approval.

When T'Pol slowly opened her eyes, she immediately turned her face away after recognizing Soval. The Vulcan elder had expected such a reaction. Being seen in such condition was a very discomforting thought for any Vulcan.

"I do apologize," he heard her say in a faint, exhausted voice. Soval deduced, that while almost serene on the outside, both of them had obviously endured quite an animated, if not even violent encounter inside the confines of her mind, should the human have managed to enter it.

"There is nothing to apologize for, T'Pol-_kan_. Your control is far from fully restored and you have suffered an unspeakable loss. There is nothing shameful about your condition."

Soval observed, how the young woman did not answer, but instead he saw Commander Tucker fish a handkerchief from his pocket, tenderly starting to wipe her face clean of the stains that had been left by her tears. The wise elder was surprised by the intensity of pure affection that was clearly visible whenever the two charges of his exchanged glances. Despite all his discipline, he almost snorted, when he realized that T'Pol was concerned about her dignity in light of her emotional reaction, while not even noticing how intimate she acted in front of his eyes. He cast is eyes downward to give them the privacy of the moment.

Soval glanced back up as he was addressed by Commander Tucker: "I hope you're not offended. I suppose this posture isn't exactly in the meditation textbook."

"There is no meditation text book, Commander. Since your and T'Pol's situation is unique, it is logical to assume that so are the solutions you find for certain challenges. I assume that the physical contact made it easier for you to reach T'Pol's mind?"

"If you mean, ending up in that white space of hers, yeah," the human answered and Soval immediately noticed the horrified look on his face, seeing his worries of a less than soothing time inside T'Pol's mind confirmed.

"Did you experience visual representations of T'Pol's warring emotions again."

"Not only I," the commander answered, choking up as guilt, insecurity and fear conspired to challenge the his control. "And you can take the warring part literally."

"I apologize in advance, but I must ask you to recollect the events," Soval said in a calm voice. "It may enable us to mount an effective defense."

Soval watched on as the young man shakily started to explain the events.

X X X

_Trip found himself in a trench, dug deep into the earth. Watching right he saw T'Pol, wearing an old fashioned Earth uniform, ducked into the trench beside him. Trip threw himself over her as an ear splitting whine announced an incoming large caliber shell. Mud, tatters of charred flesh and sharp shrapnel were thrown up all around, while the soldiers tried to crouch down as deep as possible. _

_Carefully he raised his head, when the horrible sounds had died down and Trip tried to get a bearing on what was happening. Both he and T'Pol were wearing uniforms that would put their adventure somewhere in the early 20__th__ century. He noticed the _ANZAC _tag on T'Pol's uniform as well as the Australian accents spoken by soldiers all around. _

"_Shit, Gallipoli!" Trip swore under his breath, remembering that he had seen those uniforms in one of Malcolm's World War I epics._

_Seeing the questioning eyebrow-lift of T'Pol: "One of the bloodiest battles of World War I. Half of them didn't make it back."_

"_FORWARD!" one of the leaders cried out and all soldiers jumped up, arms in firing position, and ran screaming into the direction of the enemy forces. Soldiers were sinking and falling to the ground left and right, mercilessly massacred by machine gun and artillery fire. _

"_DOWN!" Trip shouted, throwing himself to the ground, taking T'Pol with him. They both landed side-by-side with a thud as the nauseating ping of narrowly missing machine gun bullets could be heard._

_The bodies of several fallen comrades buried them as still warm blood, oozing from the mutilated corpses of the fallen, soaked their uniforms and T'Pol tried to shake them off in terror. _

"_NO! STAY DOWN!" Trip screamed as T'Pol ran away in sheer terror. She barely managed two steps, before a machine gun salvo perforated her body and splatters of green blood hit his face and mixed with the red blood of several fallen comrades, that had soaked his uniform._

X X X

Before Soval could cross the short distance from his place on the fire to the opposite side, where a desperate, horrified T'Pol tried to calm down the hysterically crying Commander Tucker, he noticed the metallic shimmer of a transporter beam, as Doctor Phlox materialized right next to the terrorized pair. It was to be expected that the parents of the young man would be alarmed and call for Doctor Phlox's help.

"Let go of him, please," Phlox demanded, wielding a scanner, but Soval immediately knew that T'Pol was in no condition to be receptacle to reason.

"LET GO, NOW!" Phlox demanded, more forcefully.

Soval was alarmed, when T'Pol answered with an open facial display of aggression and an almost animalistic hiss as the only audible reaction, while hugging her heaving and sobbing mate closer to her body. With a swift movement, Soval jumped behind her back and watched her slump down after a precisely executed nerve-pinch.

Before he knew what hit him, Commander Tucker, blinded by sheer terror and disorientation had him by the neck, trying to choke him, but before he could do any serious harm, the human collapsed into a heap, revealing a determined Phlox, still holding the hypospray, which he had just injected it into the neck of the raging human.

Fairly undignified, Soval sunk to the ground, breathing heavily, while the two terrorized Tucker parents came running to the scene.

"Good lord," Cathryn lamented and watched the scene in complete shock.

X X X

"Are you alright," Phlox inquired and hovered his scanner over Soval after he had made sure that the grieving pair was out of danger, barring the sedation.

"I am uninjured, however I am most unsettled by the violent force of T'Pol's emotions. It now becomes clear, why she was so close to being overwhelmed."

"Well that looked quite overwhelmed to me," Charles muttered, still wearing a look of horror in his face.

"She was indeed close to 'losing it', as you would say, which forced me to take the drastic measure of incapacitating her."

"What in the name of all that's holy was Trip thinking, when he attacked you?" Cathryn asked. "I ask you to forgive him."

"There is nothing to ask forgiveness for, Mrs. Tucker. It was an instinctive reaction of a bond-mate. As I explained, my course of action was rather drastic and he assumed it to be an attack on his mate. His violent reaction was therefore to be expected."

"You are quite calm about this, doc," Charles remarked. "Doesn't it scare you?"

"I admit to being unsettled, but I can assure you it is by far not as disturbing as some of the more severe cases I had to deal with during my time on Vulcan as a member of the Interspecies Medical Exchange."

"So it happens among Vulcans, too?" Cathryn asked. "It has nothing to do with Trip being human?"

"Not entirely," Soval chimed in. "His human physiology has an influence on the situation, but it is by far not the main cause."

"So what happened?" she asked back. "They've been sitting peacefully for hours and suddenly they both lose it."

"What looked serene on the outside, was actually a very disturbing encounter. As I explained to you, your son and T'Pol are linked mentally, so they exchange emotions, images, thoughts. For T'Pol these emotions are abstract entities, however Commander Tuckers mind translates them to visual images that can be experienced and processed."

"Nightmares?" Charles asked.

"Indeed. When T'Pol struggled and fought with raw emotions, Commander Tuckers consciousness translated them to images of battle. In fact he found himself in the midst of one of Earths historic battles at the island of Gallipoli.

"Good grief," Cathryn muttered and shuddered at the thought of Trip finding himself in the middle of a horrifying bloodshed. "Can't anything be done about it?"

"It can. It must, even. I shall start instructing Commander Tucker in shielding techniques with all haste, but due to the gravity of the situation, we will have to 'cut some corners' as humans say."

"Why do I get the idea that this won't be awfully pleasant for you?" Charles asked in a mix of suspicion and worry.

"It may indeed prove uncomfortable to me and possibly T'Pol as well, but after the burden that your son took upon himself, it is only logical for us to extend the same courtesy now in his favor."

- tbc in part 3 -


End file.
